Body Of Late Ooni Of Ife Secretly Flown To Nigeria From London

The remains of the Ooni of Ife, Okunade Sijuwade, has arrived his
palace in Ile Ife, knowledgeable and reliable palace sources have told
PREMIUM TIMES.
The remains of the Ooni of Ife, Okunade Sijuwade, has arrived his
palace in Ile Ife, knowledgeable and reliable palace sources have told
PREMIUM TIMES.

This website became aware of the development even as palace
authorities and notable Ile-Ife personalities insist the Oba is alive,
and is hale and hearty.

Late Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuwade
Reliable palace insiders said on Saturday that the body of the
paramount ruler left London in a chartered air ambulance on Friday and
was taken to the palace under the cover of darkness.

The body, our sources said, is now lying in a secluded part of the
palace called Ilegbo, a sacred place where all Oonis commune with
their ancestors.

Ilegbo, we understand, is the place where highly-prized rituals take
place within the confinement of the palace.

It is also the place where the Are beaded crown, worn annually by the
Ooni, is kept.

The Are crown is usually worn through the back because it is forbidden
for the Ooni to see the inside of the beaded crown. And when it is
worn, the rain must not touch it.

Our sources said only the monarch's male children and highly ranked
priests and chiefs are allowed to access that innermost recess of the
palace and sight the Ooni's remains.

"Even the Oba's female children can't come here, tradition does not
allow them to sight the Oba at this time," one of our sources said.

Those who should know said the traditional chiefs had to declare the
annual Oro festival on Friday in expectation of the arrival of the
corpse.

The commencement of the Oro festival, our sources said, signalled the
beginning of the final rites of passage for the departed Ooni.

The Oro is expected to last seven days after which the Ooni would be
committed to mother earth at a private ceremony within the palace.

Palace sources said the announcement of the Oba's passing had to be
delayed to allow his wives and family members move their personal
belongings from the palace, and for the traditional priests to perform
some "compulsory rituals".

"Members of his family who were with him in London had to hurry back
home to remove their personal effects because once his death is
declared all their property will belong to the people. They won't be
able to take anything from the palace anymore," one of our sources
said.

Palace chiefs and notable personalities from Ile-Ife have consistently
denied reports that the revered monarch had passed on, a news item
that first broke on Tuesday.

Their visit to the Osun State Governor, Rauf Aregbesola, on Thursday
and a closed-door meeting with the governor heightened anxiety that
the Ooni might have actually passed away.

They however emerged from the meeting insisting that the Ooni was in
good health. On its part, the Osun state government is yet to make any
comment on the matter.

Oba Sijuwade's predecessor, Oba Adesoji Aderemi died on July 3, 1980.

Mr. Sijuwade, crowned Oba on December 6, 1980 is widely believed to
have passed away since July 28, 2015.
-SaharaReporters